Another year has flown by and we find ourselves at the beginning of 2022 with the world still a very uncertain place due to the ongoing pandemic and associated problems. Although the last couple of years have been pretty dark for most, I'm optimistic for the future for a number of reasons.
Firstly, all things do come to an end, including global pandemics. When we look back in history at similar events that have passed, eventually. Awful events all the same but they did come to an end, as will Covid-19. Or we'll simply learn to live with it, as we do with many other illnesses. So as the world gets back to something resembling normal, I think there will be a lot of opportunities for musicians in the future. Live music will slowly get back to where it was previously, artists who have spent time away during various lockdowns will be releasing great new music which in turn will inspire others do write and record.
Secondly, the music industry always adapts. No matter what is thrown at it, the industry always finds a way. People have long predicted it's demise, a good example of this was the arrival of the internet and online music services. From it's infancy, streaming was always going to be the way forward for the most part, physical record sales were always going to decline because of the sheer convenience of streaming. You like a song? Want to own it? A couple of clicks and it's yours. No trip to your local record shop or waiting a couple of days from Amazon to deliver. Although the major record labels were slow to get on board with streaming, they eventually did and the industry is still standing today. And so it will be with the current situation. Unfortunately, some music venues and smaller labels have gone but others will spring up in their place. It always happens and will continue to do so.
Lastly, the tools available to independent musicians these days are amazing. You only have to go back a decade or so to see how far we've come with recording software, affordable gear, free and effective promotional tools and platforms to get your music out there and more importantly, heard. It's so easy for a musician to write, record, release and promote a single for little or no cost (most recording software has a free limited version but more than enough to make a professional sounding record) costs for uploading via a digital distributor are very reasonable and you'd be amazed how much free promotion you can do.
So there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful. I'm certainly looking forward to the coming year. My Mastering studio is picking up work wise and I'm looking forward to working with a wide variety of musicians over the coming months. I work with a lot of different artists an enjoy the different music I get to hear. I intend to publish these blog posts weekly, offering my thoughts on all aspects of being an independent musician/artist. I hope you'll enjoy reading the and would encourage you to get in touch with any questions you may have.
Thanks for reading.
Phil
